North Texas lawmakers will introduce two bathroom bills in special session

The Texas bathroom bill has been arguably the most controversial bill introduced during Texas' 2017 Legislative Session, drawing reaction from protesters, politicians, business leaders and celebrities. Keep going to see what you need to know about previous versions of the proposed law. less

The Texas bathroom bill has been arguably the most controversial bill introduced during Texas' 2017 Legislative Session, drawing reaction from protesters, politicians, business leaders and celebrities. Keep ... more

Photo: Sara D. Davis, Stringer

Photo: Sara D. Davis, Stringer

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Image 1 of 17 | 10 things to know about the Texas bathroom bill

The Texas bathroom bill has been arguably the most controversial bill introduced during Texas' 2017 Legislative Session, drawing reaction from protesters, politicians, business leaders and celebrities. Keep going to see what you need to know about previous versions of the proposed law. less

The Texas bathroom bill has been arguably the most controversial bill introduced during Texas' 2017 Legislative Session, drawing reaction from protesters, politicians, business leaders and celebrities. Keep ... more

Photo: Sara D. Davis, Stringer

North Texas lawmakers will introduce two bathroom bills in special session

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AUSTIN -- After a brief respite, the bathroom wars are heating up again.

Rep. Ron Simmons, R-Carrollton, is expected to introduce two bills in the upcoming special session of the Texas Legislature that would regulate which public bathrooms transgender Texans, including schoolchildren, can use.

The first bill, which will closely resemble his bill that failed during the regular session, will be a broad attempt to prohibit cities, counties and public school districts from enforcing non-discrimination ordinances involving multi-occupancy restrooms or locker rooms.

It is expected to allow exceptions for people already protected under state and federal anti-discrimination laws, which do not include sexual orientation or gender identity.

Simmons' bill would effectively invalidate local nondiscrimination ordinances that allow transgender people to use public restrooms that match their gender identity, as well as school district policies that make accommodations for transgender students.

That proposal, House Bill 2899, had 79 co-sponsors, all Republicans, before lawmakers left Austin in late May. A bill needs to win a simple majority, or 76 votes, on the House floor to pass.

This month, Gov. Greg Abbott announced a special session to begin July 18, calling lawmakers back to Austin for at least one month to tackle 20 items he said were not addressed to his satisfaction during the 140-day regular legislative session, which ended in May. Reauthorizing the Texas Medical Board and a handful of other agencies, which could close if lawmakers do not approve their continuation, topped Abbott's list.

He also listed "privacy" as one of the topics, saying that "at a minimum" he wants a bill that applies to the use of bathrooms and locker rooms in public schools. In the regular session, Abbott praised Simmons' bill as a "thoughtful" proposal, but it never won approval from a House committee and did not make it to the floor for a vote.

During the regular session, Republicans who wanted to pass some kind of bathroom bill attempted several times to get broader legislation to Abbott's desk, despite fierce opposition from LGBT and business groups who called their efforts discriminatory.

A top priority of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Senate Bill 6 would have required people to use bathrooms in public schools and colleges and government buildings that correspond to the "biological sex" listed on their birth certificates.

It also would have prohibited local jurisdictions, including cities and counties, from adopting anti-discrimination ordinances permitting transgender people to use public bathrooms that match their gender identity. SB 6, authored by Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, a Republican from Brenham, passed the Senate but was never given a committee hearing in the House.

Instead, the House approved a measure by Rep. Chris Paddie, a Republican from Marshall, which would bar transgender students from using school bathrooms that match their gender identity unless they use an unoccupied multi-occupancy bathroom. Senate leaders derided Paddie's proposal, which passed on a 94-51 vote, as toothless.

House Speaker Joe Straus said last month that he was confident the House "would not go one inch further" on the issue, even if Abbott called a special session specifically on the bathroom bill.

"No. I think the House feels very strongly that we've made our statement and that issue was continuing to be debated while school finance, which is really important to us, had not been addressed," Straus said.